Cruise Review - Norwegian Gem Eastern Mediterranean

[@augustinemasiala1624]

I didn't know that you don't board from Venice or the other locations anymore. Now I know what to ask the cruise lines when I ask where they board from. Glad for this video!!!

[@MattsOceans]

Venice-ish... If a 2 hour+ drive qualifies as "ish"!!!

[@jasonvanboesschoten6680]

Having been on 2 NCL cruises, one at the very end of covid and one well after i did see a drastic difference in entertainment. The Star in Scandinavian country had basically no entertainment, not even a comedy show. A ok magic show and the newlyweds game was in a lounge instead of the theater. The last one we did was a nightmare when it came to boarding. We selected a 9:30 we where there by 10, didnt board till almost 12 and rooms where not available till almost 4. And yes, the customer service is definitely the worst out of all the cruise lines we have used.

[@MattsOceans]

Thanks Jason. Norwegian succeeds in differentiating themselves, not always positively!

[@piyumdeheragodaperera5716]

I did it loved it!

[@MattsOceans]

Excellent!

[@nancya.2289]

When I was in Maine, Norwegian used local boats for tendering.

[@MattsOceans]

Plenty of local boars in Bar Harbour as I recall!

[@barbaracameron5610]

My first Norwegion cruise is next month. Barcelona to Manhattan. Excited

[@MattsOceans]

A transatlantic to start! I think I looked at one similar to that a few days ago... Stops in the Azores and Bermuda? Looked interesting and was very well priced!

[@betsygiles4871]

We are on the transatlantic also. We have cruised many times but this is our first NCL and our first transatlantic. Thank you for your excellent review.

[@Elaines-travels]

I sail with Norwegian once a year and generally don't have issues with their customer service, but I use a travel agent so she takes care of everything, something I highly recommend. I love the freestyle concept which is why I sail with them. The Gem has gone into dry dock for refurbishment before it heads to North American for the winter season, I will be on her for a Panama Canal cruise in January of 23

[@benyounce8390]

Would be interested to hear if you thought the freestyle drink package was worth it. The cruise fare including drinks was substantially more expensive. The upcharge for the drinks packages basically afforded 7 drinks per day. One advantage to paying the upcharge is that there is no limit to how many drinks you get per day. Still, I would never drink more that 4 or 5 mixed drinks in a day, so I thought it best to just pay as I go.

[@MattsOceans]

Hi Ben... Ahhhhh.... The "Drinks Package" debate... Both Norwegian trips I've taken allowed me to add the "free at sea" package for £150 - so that's drinks and wifi and money off excursions. Which made it a no- brainer... But I usually do add a package as I probably drink more than average and I like knowing exactly how much I'm paying for something - in the old days the last night of the cruise was always marred by getting that wadge of bills shoved under the door... But your attitude is bang on - work out whether its value for your drinking patterns and approach the issue accordingly.

[@benyounce8390]

@@MattsOceans Thanks for the insight. I’ll play the odds this trip and keep you posted on how it goes 😎

[@suzannelyons8624]

I'll be on the Gem 3.31.23 to Bermuda on a charter "Broadway" cruise with 3 friends -- so excited! We did the same itinerary in August on the NCL Getaway, albeit in The Haven so hoping this is as great an experience as that one!

[@MattsOceans]

Never done a themed / chartered cruise and probably should... I'm guessing this is from New York? Would make sense!

[@suzannelyons8624]

@@MattsOceans Yes departing NYC. Lucky for me that's my home port so it's literally a 30 minute ride to the terminal.

[@cindybetten7573]

Just got off the GEM after 11 days sailing around the Caribbean. Lost 2 ports because of the Christmas storm. They were puerta plata and San Juan PR. Got somewhat reimbursed. Food was good but got a little tired of it by day 10. Imagine that. I found the ship to be quite unsteady because of the storm, but all the way to St. Thomas? Beware, I think all the alcoholic beverages are watered down. We had to order a double shot in every drink to get a normal drink. The crew was very very friendly and responded with extra enthusiasm when a cash tip is offered. Especially bartenders when dealing with a crowded bar. The ship was very clean and rarely showed a hint of its age. All passengers were very friendly to one another. I made friends with people from all over the world and some from our own backyard. WIFI, (very expensive) was on the blink most of the time. Be prepared to complain to get some satisfaction. We did get reimbursed $400, so make friends with the ship’s internet manager. Best specialty restaurant, “Cagney’s”, by far. Most disappointing was “Le Bistro”. Well that’s enough for now. Overall my wife and I have many very fond memories and would go back in a New York minute!

[@MattsOceans]

Thanks Cindy - comprehensive review! The drinks point is interesting - it takes quite a bit of coordination and planning to do that and its really not easy - for example what do you do with the alcohol you remove from the bottle before you replace it with the water? Some well brands are manufactured at a lower ABV which might make you think its watered down... But it's all purchased duty free by the cruise lines so the water might actually be more expensive than the alcohol!

[@cindybetten7573]

Matt, I use the term “watered down” only as a general description of the drinks. More likely the bottles come from the bottler not at the true “80” proof one might think. I don’t really know but, I never saw anyone very drunk as might be expected with the amount of alcohol being poured at the perhaps 20 or so bars on board.?!

[@innashurigina9254]

Thank you for your video and information provided. Could you please share if you feel it was enough time at each stop to really enjoy and explore each place?

[@MattsOceans]

Thanks Inna. Absolutely not long enough in any of the ports! I could quite happily have spend 2 or 3 days in each of those stops... But that's not the point of a cruise - it gives you an opportunity to see places and get an idea of whether they merit further investigation... With that in mind each stop was absolutely long enough to allow you to get that taste of the port.

[@innashurigina9254]

@@MattsOceans thank you very much, your video and your reply are very helpful I am debating if to take this cruise or not , it says that it takes two our before you can exit ship and you have to be back two hours before departure time Feels like you only get few hours to be at the place and you have to rush

[@MattsOceans]

@@innashurigina9254 I'd take that with a pinch of salt.... If its a tender port, they do usually reserve the first few tenders for those off on excursions so it can eat into the day a little... When you dock, you can get off as soon as the gangplank is attached which will probably be well before you're ready to go anyway! Then you may want to give yourself a buffer on tender ports at the end of the day, otherwise "all aboard" is about 30 minutes before sail away... I think the time in port is generally quite generous... Not sure where the 2 hour thing comes from....

[@alicemallen8997]

Was on the Gem for 9 days, Caribbean, 2 weeks ago. Usually cruise Holland America, but friends highly recommended Norwegian. I was disappointed. Norwegians inside cabin was smaller, no hair conditioner, body lotion or robes. Food was okay in main but buffet not so good & outside deck burger was horrid. Entertainment okay, on par with HAL. Too much upselling & not enough free activities on Norwegian. Only $50 off for one person for an expensive excursion of $125 each was not a great deal. Overall HAL has better, food & service & cabins. 16:26 Probably won’t be cruising Norwegian again.

[@MattsOceans]

Thanks for that - HAL is a tricky line to try if you live in Europe - a few Med cruises but not very many... The important question though is whether Norwegian was much cheaper than HAL??? And you're right - the $50 tour credit sounds brilliant but I fear NCL just puts the price of all of their excursions up by $50 to get their money back!

[@alicemallen8997]

This particular cruise was a little cheaper because of a discount offered on the “have it all” package. Also, I suspect because it was an older, less desirable ship.

[@nyclesdrpr]

Do you recall if people were allowed to decorate their cabin door? So you remember seeing any decorations on some people's doors? Also did you get any motion sickness?

[@MattsOceans]

Oh yes - plenty of decorations on doors! No motion sickness - I talk about this in detail in my last video about picking a first cruise...

[@nyclesdrpr]

@@MattsOceans you saw decorations recently? Cause i was told there was a ban on decorations on Norwegian since 2019 but can't tell if it's being enforced or not

[@MattsOceans]

I was sure I saw decorations, but I looked into what you are saying and it does indeed seem like the ban prevails... Although I did see some suggestion on line that some ships are more diligent about this than others... I don't have much corridor footage from that trip... Probably best to assume no, and apologies if I raised your hopes! They seem to be happy for you to decorate the inside of your door and the wider cabin, but not the outside of it!

[@alisonl3976]

I totally agree with your thoughts on how bad the land customer service is. We had some issues with NCL Epic this summer. Now getting ready to board the Gem from NYC for Christmas and New Year’s. Thanks for the info. Well done.

[@MattsOceans]

Thanks Alison - a holiday season cruise is an enticing proposition... I did (briefly) think about doing one this year but I have a pretty established Christmas routine which would be hard to break... One year!

[@tonymacdonald072]

Gosh, the negativity of the guy on here is draining.

[@MattsOceans]

Well I strongly recommend you stop watching!

[@Supashoppa69]

Best to book Matt? Any booking tips to leverage the best deal?

[@MattsOceans]

An excellent question! And a video in the planning... If you have a good, trusted travel agent that's the best way - no real price benefit (although you might get lucky and access a travel agent only fare) but they'll be able to handle a chunk of the admin... The best tip is to not pay the balance until the last possible day and track pricing after you've booked (and paid the deposit). That gives some leverage if the price drops - you may be able to rebook at the lower price and save money (even if you lose the initial deposit) or call the cruise line and haggle down to the new prevailing price... Worst case is usually getting the price drop in on-board credit...

[@Supashoppa69]

@@MattsOceans Thanks. I am looking at the NCL rates for next May/June for a solo traveller. ( first time cruiser) Mediterranean area. I can’t work out why the 7 day cruises are more expensive ( or not pro rata priced ) then the 9/10 day plus ones when the port/ itineraries are very similar 🤔

[@Supashoppa69]

@@MattsOceans Thanks. I am looking at the NCL rates for next May/June for a solo traveller. ( first time cruiser) Mediterranean area. I can’t work out why the 7 day cruises are more expensive ( or not pro rata priced ) then the 9/10 day plus ones when the port/ itineraries are very similar 🤔

[@gustavocastillafalder5001]

Its a horrible ship. And too expensive. Prefer Royal Caribbean.

[@MattsOceans]

Still looking to get on one of Norwegian's newest ships...